Display control device, recording control device, and display control method

ABSTRACT

There is provided a display control device including a related content acquisition unit that acquires related content that relates to predetermined video content, and a display controller that applies control to display the related content after the predetermined video content is recorded.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/018,893, filed on Sep. 5, 2013, which contains subject matter relatedto that disclosed in Japanese Priority Patent Application JP 2012-201548filed in the Japan Patent Office on Sep. 13, 2012, the entire content ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a display control device, a recordingcontrol device, and a display control method.

Technology that provides a user with related content that relates topredetermined video content now exists. If such technology can make auser become interested in related content that relates to predeterminedvideo content, for example, it becomes possible to broaden the range ofthe user's interests and generate new business. One technology thatprovides related content to a user is the technology disclosed inJapanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-273083, forexample.

SUMMARY

However, with technology that provides a user with related content thatrelates to predetermined video content, the related content is typicallyprovided to the user before the predetermined video content is recorded.For this reason, it is difficult to provide a user with related contentthat accounts for information such as the user's rating of thepredetermined video content. Consequently, it is desirable to providetechnology for displaying related content after the predetermined videocontent is recorded.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provideda display control device including a related content acquisition unitthat acquires related content that relates to predetermined videocontent, and a display controller that applies control to display therelated content after the predetermined video content is recorded.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided a recording control device including a recording controllerthat applies control to record predetermined video content, and adisplay controller that applies control to display the predeterminedvideo content. Control is applied to display related content thatrelates to the predetermined video content after the predetermined videocontent is recorded by the recording controller.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there isprovided a display control method including acquiring related contentthat relates to predetermined video content, and applying control todisplay the related content after the predetermined video content isrecorded.

According to the present disclosure as described above, it is possibleto provide technology for displaying related content that relates topredetermined video content after the predetermined video content isrecorded.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a displaycontrol system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a tabletaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a maindevice according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a list of examples of acquiring relatedcontent;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a table of examples of acquiringrelated content;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of creating keywords used toacquire related content (for the case of using a recently used keyword);

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of creating keywords used toacquire related content (for the case of using a keyword used in thepast);

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of data up torelated content acquisition;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of operations upto related content acquisition;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display of relatedcontent (for the case of using a banner ad);

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display of relatedcontent (for the case of using a pre-roll ad);

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of skipping a commercial(CM) included in program content;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of moving a CM included inprogram content;

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display of relatedcontent (for the case of using related content that relates to programcontent to be played back);

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of display timings forprogram content and related content;

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a CM list displayed inthe case of skipping a CM;

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display of relatedcontent (for the case of using related content that relates to programcontent to be played back);

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of operation(main operation) by a display control system according to an embodimentof the present disclosure;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of operationby a display control system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure (for the case of using related content linked to programcontent to be played back);

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of operationby a display control system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure (for the case of using related content linked to programcontent to be played back);

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of operationby a display control system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure (for the case of using related content linked to programcontent to be played back);

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of operationby a display control system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure (for the case of using related content according tokeywords); and

FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of operationby a display control system according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure (for the case of using related content according tokeywords).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S)

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Note that,in this specification and the appended drawings, structural elementsthat have substantially the same function and structure are denoted withthe same reference numerals, and repeated explanation of thesestructural elements is omitted.

Also, in this specification and the appended drawings, multiplestructural elements having substantially the same function and structuremay in some cases be distinguished by different letters appended to thesame sign. On the other hand, when not particularly distinguishing eachof multiple structural elements having substantially the same functionand structure, only the sign will be given.

In addition, the detailed description of the embodiments in this sectionwill be given in the order indicated below.

1. Exemplary configuration of display control system

2. Exemplary functional configuration of tablet

3. Exemplary functional configuration of main device

4. Description of related content acquisition

5. Description of related content display control

6. Exemplary operation of display control system

7. Conclusion

1. EXEMPLARY CONFIGURATION OF DISPLAY CONTROL SYSTEM

First, an exemplary configuration of a display control system 1according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a displaycontrol system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.As illustrated in FIG. 1, the display control system 1 is equipped witha tablet 10 as an example of a display control device, and a main device20 as an example of a recording control device. In addition to theabove, the display control system 1 is equipped with components such asa display device 30, a server system 40, and an access point 50.

Hereinafter, a description will be given using the tablet 10 as anexample of a display control device, but since the tablet 10 is merelyone example of a display control device, another display control deviceinstead of the tablet 10 may also be used. Likewise, a description willbe given using the main device 20 as an example of a recording controldevice, but since the main device 20 is merely one example of arecording control device, another recording control device instead ofthe main device 20 may also be used.

The tablet 10 is capable of remotely controlling the main device 20 bytransmitting a wireless signal corresponding to a user operation to themain device 20. For example, the tablet 10 is capable of performingactions such as recording program content, playing back recorded programcontent, and searching program content by remote control. The recordingof program content may also be scheduled recording of program content.Program content at least includes predetermined video content (contentthat at least includes images), for example, and may be content thatadditionally includes audio, and may also include data in other formats.

Also, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the tablet 10 is capable of connectingto a network 60 via the access point 50, for example. The connection tothe network 60 by the tablet 10 may be performed in a wired or wirelessmanner. The tablet 10 may be a smartphone, a mobile phone, a personalcomputer (PC), or other client device.

The main device 20 is capable of performing various operations on thebasis of wireless signals received from the tablet 10. For example, themain device 20 is capable of performing actions such as recordingprogram content, playing back recorded program content, and searchingprogram content by remote control from the tablet 10. The main device 20is able to receive program content from a broadcasting station, forexample.

Also, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the main device 20 is capable ofconnecting to the network 60, for example. The connection to the network60 by the main device 20 may be performed in a wired or wireless manner.The type of main device 20 is not particularly limited insofar ascontrol of the display of program content on a display device 30 ispossible. The main device 20 may be a hard disk drive (HDD) recorder ora Blu-Ray Disc (BD) recorder, for example.

The display device 30 is capable of displaying program content accordingto display control by the main device 20. The display device 30corresponds to a television, for example, but the type of display device30 is not particularly limited insofar as the device is capable ofdisplaying program content. Although the display device 30 and the maindevice 20 are connected in a wired manner in the example illustrated inFIG. 1, the display device 30 and the main device 20 may also beconnected wirelessly.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the server system 40 includes a relatedcontent server 41 and a post-metadata server 42, for example. In thisspecification, metadata added to program content before that programcontent is broadcast (such as electronic program guide (EPG) data, forexample) is specifically designated “pre-metadata”. On the other hand,metadata added to program content after the program content is broadcast(such as metadata in which information is generated as the programproceeds by a predetermined operator during the broadcast or after thebroadcast, such as information on shops introduced in a special segmentof the program (hereinafter referred to as a “corner”) or over thecourse of program, or metadata on comments written by viewers regardingthe program content, for example) is specifically designated“post-metadata”.

The related content server 41 delivers related content that relates toprogram content. Herein, related content is content that at leastincludes images, for example, and may be content that additionallyincludes audio, and may also include data in other formats, similarly tothe program content.

The post-metadata server 42 delivers post-metadata. Although the relatedcontent server 41 and the post-metadata server 42 are realizedseparately in the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the related contentserver 41 and the post-metadata server 42 may also be integrated. Also,although the related content server 41 and the post-metadata server 42are connected to the tablet 10 via the network 60 in the exampleillustrated in FIG. 1, at least one of the related content server 41 andthe post-metadata server 42 may also be provided inside the tablet 10,or connected via a dedicated line.

The foregoing thus describes an exemplary configuration of a displaycontrol system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

2. EXEMPLARY FUNCTIONAL CONFIGURATION OF TABLET

Next, an exemplary functional configuration of a tablet 10 according toan embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 2 is adiagram illustrating an exemplary functional configuration of a tablet10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustratedin FIG. 2, each of the function blocks constituting the tablet 10 isconnected to a data bus DB and a control bus CB.

Also, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the tablet 10 is equipped with a networkinterface (I/F) unit 110, an external memory I/F 120, external memory121, a recording controller 131, an information processor 132, a relatedcontent acquisition unit 133, a playback processor 134, and a displaycontroller 135. The tablet 10 is also equipped with a touch panel inputprocessor 136, an image/audio feature extractor 137, a touch paneldisplay 138, a communication I/F unit 140, memory unit 150, and a systemcontroller 160.

The network I/F unit 110 includes functionality for connecting to thenetwork 60 via the access point 50. The external memory 121 is arecording medium able to be removed from the tablet 10. The externalmemory I/F 120 includes functionality for reading and writing data withrespect to the external memory 121. The recording controller 131includes functionality for controlling the reading and writing of datawith respect to the external memory 121 and the memory unit 150.

The information processor 132 includes functionality for conductingvarious information processing. For example, the information processor132 may include functionality for detecting commercial message (CM)segments from program content. For example, the information processor132 may detect a CM segment on the basis of metadata attached to programcontent, and may also determine a CM segment on the basis of featuresextracted by the image/audio feature extractor 137. Hereinafter, CMs mayalso be designated advertising content in some cases.

The related content acquisition unit 133 includes functionality foracquiring related content that relates to program content. Herein, avariety of cases are envisioned regarding how the related contentacquisition unit 133 acquires related content that relates to particularprogram content. For this reason, a detailed description regarding howthe related content acquisition unit 133 acquires related content thatrelates to particular program content will be given later. The playbackprocessor 134 includes functionality for playing back related content.

The display controller 135 includes functionality for applying controlsuch that related content is displayed after program content isrecorded. As described earlier, with technology that provides a userwith related content that relates to program content, the relatedcontent is typically provided to the user before the program content isrecorded. For this reason, it is difficult to provide a user withrelated content that accounts for information such as the user's ratingof the program content. According to the present embodiment, there isprovided technology for displaying related content after the programcontent is recorded.

The touch panel input processor 136 includes functionality forrecognizing a user operation on the basis of specific coordinates inputinto the touch panel display 138, and outputting the recognized useroperation to the system controller 160. The image/audio featureextractor 137 extracts predetermined image/audio features fromimage/audio data. Potential examples of image features include globalfeatures such as chroma features, luma features, and texture features,as well as local features such as the corner features of objects foundby the Harris corner detector, and scale-invariant feature transform(SIFT). Potential audio features include the average audio level of apredetermined segment length, and the power spectrum of a predeterminedfrequency band. Predetermined recognition processes (such as a facialrecognition process and an audio recognition process, for example) areconducted on the basis of these predetermined image features and audiofeatures. Features extracted by the image/audio feature extractor 137may also be used to determine performers in program content, forexample. Otherwise, features extracted by the image/audio featureextractor 137 may be used to determine key frames in program content.

The touch panel display 138 includes functionality for presenting adisplay according to display control by the display controller 135. Thetouch panel display 138 also includes functionality for acquiringspecific coordinates input by a user, and outputting the specificcoordinates to the touch panel input processor 136.

Note that although FIG. 2 illustrates a touch panel display 138 as anexample of a display device and an input device, a combination of aseparately realized display device and input device may also be usedinstead of the touch panel display 138. Although the touch panel display138 is integrated into the tablet 10 in the example illustrated in FIG.2, in the above case the display device may be realized separately fromthe tablet 10, and the tablet 10 may also be realized separately fromthe tablet 10.

The communication I/F unit 140 includes functionality for communicatingwith the main device 20. The memory unit 150 is a recording medium builtinto the tablet 10, and is capable of storing programs that induce theoperation of components such as the recording controller 131, theinformation processor 132, the related content acquisition unit 133, theplayback processor 134, the display controller 135, the touch panelinput processor 136, the image/audio feature extractor 137, and thesystem controller 160, for example. The memory unit 150 is also capableof storing various data used by programs.

The system controller 160 includes functionality for controlling allfunction blocks present inside the tablet 10. Note that components suchas the recording controller 131, the information processor 132, therelated content acquisition unit 133, the playback processor 134, thedisplay controller 135, the touch panel input processor 136, theimage/audio feature extractor 137, and the system controller 160 maycorrespond to a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), forexample. These function blocks are able to exhibit their respectivefunctions as a result of the execution of programs stored by the memoryunit 150, for example.

The foregoing thus describes an exemplary functional configuration of atablet 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

3. EXEMPLARY FUNCTIONAL CONFIGURATION OF MAIN DEVICE

Next, an exemplary functional configuration of a main device 20according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary functional configurationof a main device 20 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 3, each of the function blocksconstituting the main device 20 is connected to a data bus DB and acontrol bus CB.

Also, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the main device 20 is equipped with anetwork I/F unit 210, a tuner unit 220 that includes an antenna 221, arecording medium 230, a recording controller 241, an informationprocessor 242, a playback processor 243, and a display controller 244.The main device 20 is also equipped with an image/audio featureextractor 245, a communication I/F unit 250, memory unit 260, a discdrive unit 270, a disc recording medium 271, and a system controller280.

The network I/F unit 210 includes functionality for connecting to thenetwork 60. The tuner unit 220 includes functionality for extractingdesired program content from a broadcast wave received by the antenna221. The recording medium 230 corresponds to a database. The recordingcontroller 241 includes functionality for controlling the reading andwriting of data with respect to the memory 260 and the disc recordingmedium 271.

The information processor 242 includes functionality for conductingvarious information processing. For example, the information processor242 may include functionality for detecting CM segments from programcontent. For example, the information processor 242 may detect a CMsegment on the basis of metadata attached to program content, and mayalso determine a CM segment on the basis of features extracted by theimage/audio feature extractor 245. The playback processor 243 includesfunctionality for playing back program content. The display controller244 includes functionality for controlling the display device 30 suchthat the display device 30 displays program content.

The image/audio feature extractor 245 extracts predetermined imagefeatures and audio features from image data and audio data in programcontent. Potential examples of image features include global featuressuch as chroma features, luma features, and texture features, as well aslocal features such as the corner features of objects found by theHarris corner detector, and scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT).Potential audio features include the average audio level of apredetermined segment length, and the power spectrum of a predeterminedfrequency band. Predetermined recognition processes (such as a facialrecognition process and an audio recognition process, for example) areconducted on the basis of these predetermined image features and audiofeatures. Features extracted by the image/audio feature extractor 245may also be used to determine a performer in program content, forexample. Otherwise, features extracted by the image/audio featureextractor 245 may be used to determine key frames in program content.Also, these features are used to detect identical content or similarcontent.

The communication I/F unit 250 includes functionality for communicatingwith the tablet 10. The memory unit 260 is a recording medium built intothe main device 20, and is capable of storing programs that induce theoperation of components such as the recording controller 241, theinformation processor 242, the playback processor 243, the displaycontroller 244, the image/audio feature extractor 245, and the systemcontroller 280, for example. The memory unit 260 is also capable ofstoring various data used by programs.

The disc drive unit 270 includes functionality for driving programcontent recorded onto the disc recording medium 271. The disc recordingmedium 271 includes functionality for recording program content. Forexample, program content that has been scheduled for recording may startbeing recorded onto the disc recording medium 271 at a set recordingstart time, and stop being recorded to the disc recording medium 271 ata set recording stop time. However, recording may also start when arecording start operation is performed, and recording may also stop whena recording stop operation is performed.

The system controller 280 includes functionality for controlling allfunction blocks present inside the main device 20. Note that componentssuch as the recording controller 241, the information processor 242, theplayback processor 243, the display controller 244, the image/audiofeature extractor 245, and the system controller 280 may correspond to aprocessor such as a CPU, for example. These function blocks are able toexhibit their respective functions as a result of the execution ofprograms stored by the memory unit 260, for example.

The foregoing thus describes an exemplary functional configuration of amain device 20 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

4. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED CONTENT ACQUISITION

Next, related content acquisition by the tablet 10 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail. Asdiscussed earlier, the related content acquisition unit 133 of thetablet 10 acquires related content that relates to program content, buta variety of cases are envisioned regarding how the related contentacquisition unit 133 acquires related content that relates to particularprogram content. For example, the related content acquisition unit 133may acquire related content that relates to program content to be playedback as the related content that relates to program content. This isbecause the user has a high likelihood of being strongly interested inprogram content to be played back, and thus has a high likelihood ofalso being interested in related content that relates to that programcontent.

The related content acquisition unit 133 may also acquire relatedcontent that relates to the most recently recorded program content asthe related content that relates to program content. This is because,similarly to program content to be played back, the user has a highlikelihood of being strongly interested in the most recently recordedprogram content, and thus has a high likelihood of also being interestedin related content that relates to that program content. However, themethods by which the related content acquisition unit 133 acquiresrelated content that relates to particular program content are notlimited to these acquisition methods.

Likewise, the question of how to select such related content thatrelates to program content is not particularly limited. For example, ina case where program content has been selected for recording accordingto recording selection information used to select a recording target,the related content acquisition unit 133 may acquire related contentaccording to the recording selection information. This is because theuser has high likelihood of being strongly interested in such relatedcontent. Note that hereinafter, keywords used in order to select arecording target (hereinafter designated “recording search keywords”)will be used as an example of recording selection information.

As another example, in a case where program content has been selectedfor playback according to playback selection information used to selecta playback target, the related content acquisition unit 133 may acquirerelated content according to the playback selection information. This isbecause the user has high likelihood of being strongly interested insuch related content. Note that hereinafter, keywords used in order toselect a playback target (hereinafter designated “playback searchkeywords”) will be used as an example of playback selection information.

As another example, in a case where program content has been selectedfor recording according to preregistered information, the relatedcontent acquisition unit 133 may acquire related content according tothe preregistered information. This is because the user has highlikelihood of being strongly interested in such related content. Asanother example, the related content acquisition unit 133 may alsoacquire related content according to metadata of program content. Thisis because the user has high likelihood of being strongly interested insuch related content. Note that the metadata may be what is called“pre-metadata” or “post-metadata”, as discussed earlier.

As another example, the related content acquisition unit 133 may alsoacquire related content that relates to a performer obtained as a resultof conducting a predetermined recognition process (such as a facialrecognition process or a speech recognition process, for example) onprogram content. Alternatively, the related content acquisition unit 133may acquire related content that relates to extracted information (suchas the name of a performer, the name of a product introduced on aprogram, or the name of a place appearing in a program, for example)extracted from a viewer's comment regarding program content.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a list of examples of acquiring relatedcontent. Also, FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a table of examples ofacquiring related content. Note that the examples illustrated in FIGS. 4and 5 are merely examples of related content acquisition, and thus therelated content acquisition methods are obviously not limited to theexamples illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the case where the main device 20 playsback program content directly specified by a user (example (1)illustrated in FIG. 4) may involve situations such as the case ofplaying back program content that was selected as a recording target onthe basis of preregistered information (example (1-1) illustrated inFIG. 4), or the case of recording the program content directly specifiedby the user (example (1-2) illustrated in FIG. 4).

For example, in the former case (example (1-1) illustrated in FIG. 4),the related content acquisition unit 133 of the tablet 10 may acquirerelated content according to preregistered information. Meanwhile, inthe latter case (example (1-2) illustrated in FIG. 4), the relatedcontent acquisition unit 133 of the tablet 10 may acquire relatedcontent according to metadata of the program content, for example. Themetadata may be what is called “pre-metadata” or “post-metadata”, asdiscussed earlier.

Also, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the case where the main device 20 playsback program content selected on the basis of keywords (example (2)illustrated in FIG. 4) may involve situations such as the case where theprogram content only relates to recording search keywords (example (2-1)illustrated in FIG. 4, example “1” illustrated in FIG. 5), or the casewhere recording search keywords and playback search keywords are thesame (example (2-2) illustrated in FIG. 4, example “2” illustrated inFIG. 5).

Furthermore, the case where the main device 20 plays back programcontent selected on the basis of keywords (example (2) illustrated inFIG. 4) may involve situations such as the case where recording searchkeywords and playback search keywords are different (example (2-3)illustrated in FIG. 4, example “3” illustrated in FIG. 5), or the casewhere the program content only relates to playback search keywords(example (2-4) illustrated in FIG. 4, example “4” illustrated in FIG.5).

For example, in the first case (example (2-1) illustrated in FIG. 4,example “1” illustrated in FIG. 5), the related content acquisition unit133 of the tablet 10 may acquire related content according to recordingsearch keywords. As another example, in the second case (example (2-2)illustrated in FIG. 4, example “2” illustrated in FIG. 5), the relatedcontent acquisition unit 133 of the tablet 10 may acquire relatedcontent according to either of recording search keywords and playbacksearch keywords.

As another example, in the third case (example (2-3) illustrated in FIG.4, example “3” illustrated in FIG. 5), the related content acquisitionunit 133 of the tablet 10 may acquire related content according toshared keywords between recording search keywords and playback searchkeywords. As another example, in the fourth case (example (2-4)illustrated in FIG. 4, example “4” illustrated in FIG. 5), the relatedcontent acquisition unit 133 of the tablet 10 may acquire relatedcontent according to playback search keywords.

Although it is envisioned that techniques like those indicated abovewill be used to select keywords for use in searching for relatedcontent, various techniques for creating keywords for use in searchingfor related content are also envisioned, and are not particularlylimited. Next, examples of creating keywords for use in searching forrelated content will be described.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of creating keywords used toacquire related content (for the case of using a recently used keyword).As illustrated in FIG. 6, consider the case where program content althat was previously selected according to the keyword “Keiko Minamigawa”has been recorded, and this program content al is currently selected forplayback. In such a case, situations such as the case where relatedcontent according to the keyword does not exist, or the case where thenumber of related content items according to the keyword does not reacha desired number (the case where the same related content would berepeated) are envisioned, for example.

In such cases, the related content acquisition unit 133 may additionallyacquire related content according to a recently used keyword (forexample, a recently used recording search keyword). For example, in acase where multiple recently used keywords exist, the related contentacquisition unit 133 may acquire related content according to thekeyword used most often from among the multiple keywords. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 6, related content is additionally acquiredaccording to the keyword “AKC” used most often from among recently usedkeywords.

Note that although related content is acquired by setting a recordingsearch keyword and a recently used keyword to the same priority in theexample illustrated in FIG. 6, one keyword may also be prioritized otheranother keyword. For example, in a case where the program content al wasrecorded at a time that is older than a predetermined time, a recentlyused keyword may be prioritized over a recording search keyword (therecently used keyword may also be used alone, without using therecording search keyword, for example).

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of creating keywords used toacquire related content (for the case of using a keyword used in thepast). As illustrated in FIG. 7, consider the case where program contentb1 that was previously selected according to the keyword “snapshot” hasbeen recorded, and this program content b1 is currently selected forplayback. In such a case, situations such as the case where relatedcontent according to the keyword does not exist, or the case where thenumber of related content items according to the keyword does not reacha desired number (the case where the same related content would berepeated) are envisioned, for example.

In such cases, the related content acquisition unit 133 may additionallyacquire related content according to a keyword used to search forprogram content recorded at the time closest to the recording time ofthe program content b1. For example, in a case where there existmultiple keywords used to search for program content recorded at thetime closest to the recording time of the program content b1, therelated content acquisition unit 133 may acquire related contentaccording to the keyword used most often from among the multiplekeywords. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, related content isadditionally acquired according to the keyword “pink” used most oftenfrom among keywords used to search for program content recorded at thetime closest to the recording time of the program content b1.

Note that although related content is acquired by setting a recordingsearch keyword and a keyword used to search for program content recordedat the time closest to the recording time of the program content b1 tothe same priority in the example illustrated in FIG. 7, one keyword mayalso be prioritized other another keyword. For example, in a case wherethe program content b1 was recorded at a time that is older than apredetermined time, a keyword used to search for program contentrecorded at the time closest to the recording time of the programcontent b1 may be prioritized over a recording search keyword (thekeyword used to search for program content recorded at the time closestto the recording time of the program content b1 may also be used alone,without using the recording search keyword, for example).

Next, an example of the flow of data up to related content acquisitionand an example of the flow of operations up to related contentacquisition will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating anexample of the flow of data up to related content acquisition. Also,FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of operations upto related content acquisition.

Note that the example illustrated in FIG. 8 is merely an example of theflow of data up to related content acquisition, and thus the flow ofdata up to related content acquisition is obviously not limited to theexample illustrated in FIG. 8. Similarly, the example illustrated inFIG. 9 is merely an example of the flow of operations up to relatedcontent acquisition, and thus the flow of operations up to relatedcontent acquisition is obviously not limited to the example illustratedin FIG. 9.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, program content contains multiple scenes. Someof these multiple scenes may be main feature (such as the scenes labeledwith the titles “Opening”, “Popular Cake Shop”, and “Today's Book” inthe example illustrated in FIG. 8), whereas others may be CMs insertedbefore and after the main features (such as the scene labeled with thetitle “CM” in the example illustrated in FIG. 8).

Among the multiple scenes, there also exist scenes that are associatedwith related content. In the example illustrated in FIG. 8, relatedcontent is associated with a scene having a scene ID of “0004”. Notethat, as illustrated in FIG. 8, there exists information regardingrelated content directly associated with a scene (hereinafter alsoreferred to as “related content information”). It is also possible toacquire related content on the basis of information for identifyingrelated content that is included in such related content information (aUniform Resource Locator (URL) in the example illustrated in FIG. 8).

Note that, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the example herein assumes the casewhere the post-metadata server 42 is storing scene information, which isinformation regarding each of the multiple scenes, and related contentinformation, while the related content server 41 is storing relatedcontent. However, the servers that respectively store scene information,related content information, and related content are not particularlylimited.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, when the main device 20 records or plays backprogram content (S1), the tablet 10 transmits to the post-metadataserver 42 a scene information request for acquiring the sceneinformation for that program content (S2). In response to the sceneinformation request, the post-metadata server 42 transmits the sceneinformation for that program content to the tablet 10 (S3). Note thatthe information for specifying program content is not particularlylimited, and may be a combination of the start date and time of theprogram content, the end date and time of the program content, and thestation broadcasting the program content, for example.

Additionally, the tablet 10 transmits to the post-metadata server 42 arelated content existing scene information request, which is used toacquire related content existing scene information that indicates scenesfor which related content exists (S4). In response to the relatedcontent existing scene information request, the post-metadata server 42transmits the related content existing scene information for thatprogram content to the tablet 10 (S5).

Subsequently, the tablet 10 extracts a desired scene ID from the relatedcontent existing scene information, and transmits to the post-metadataserver 42 a related content information request containing the extractedscene ID (S6). In response to the related content information request,the post-metadata server 42 transmits related content informationassociated with that scene to the tablet 10 (S7).

Subsequently, the tablet 10 extracts an URL contained in the relatedcontent information, and transmits to the related content server 41 arelated content request containing the extracted URL (S8). In responseto the related content request, the related content server 41 transmitsrelated content existing at that URL to the tablet 10 (S9).

Subsequently, upon receiving related content from the related contentserver 41, the tablet 10 plays back that related content (S10). Timecode synchronization is performed between the program content playedback by the main device 20 and the related content played back by thetablet 10.

The foregoing thus describes an example of the flow of data up torelated content acquisition and an example of the flow of operations upto related content acquisition. According to such operations, specifyinga scene for which related content exists enables related contentinformation for that scene to be acquired, thereby making it possible toreduce the communication load compared to the case of acquiring relatedcontent information for the entire program content.

Furthermore, since the presence or absence of related content isseparated from the scene information, the management of sceneinformation is simplified for the server system 40, while also making itpossible for the tablet 10 side to reuse scene information that hasalready been acquired, as long as the scene itself is not updated. Also,configuring the post-metadata server 42 that manages related contentinformation and the related content server 41 that manages the relatedcontent itself as separate servers makes it possible to distribute theprocessing load among the server system 40.

The foregoing thus describes in detail related content acquisition by atablet 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

5. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED CONTENT DISPLAY CONTROL

Next, related content display control by a tablet 10 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail. Asdiscussed earlier, the display controller 135 of the tablet 10 controlsrelated content such that related content is displayed after programcontent is recorded, but a variety of techniques are envisionedregarding the related content display control.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display of relatedcontent (for the case of using a banner ad). The display controller 135may apply control such that related content K1 is displayed on a screendisplayed on the touch panel display 138. For example, the displaycontroller 135 may apply control such that the related content K1 isdisplayed at a predetermined position on a selection screen 1381 used toselect program content to be played back, as illustrated in FIG. 10.

Note that although the related content K1 is envisioned to be a bannerad that proceeds to a linked page when selected in the exampleillustrated in FIG. 10, the related content K1 may be a type of contentother than a banner ad. Also, the screen displaying the related contentK1 may also be a screen other than a selection screen 1381 used toselect program content to be played back.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display of relatedcontent (for the case of using a pre-roll ad). The display controller135 may apply control such that related content K4 is displayed on ascreen displayed on the display device 30. For example, the displaycontroller 135 may apply control to insert related content beforeprogram content C1 to be played back, such that related content K4 isdisplayed before the program content C1 to be played back, asillustrated in FIG. 11.

Although the display controller 135 inserts related content before theprogram content C1 to be played back in the example illustrated in FIG.11, the position where related content is inserted may also be after theprogram content C1 to be played back, or in the middle of the programcontent C1 to be played back. In other words, the position where relatedcontent is inserted is not particularly limited.

Note that although the scenes of the program content C1 are envisionedto change in the order of a main feature H1, a CM, a main feature H2, aCM, and a main feature H3 in the example illustrated in FIG. 11, thestructure of the program content C1 obviously is not limited to such astructure. The related content K4 may also be any content.

Although the above illustrates the case of displaying related contentthat is separate content from the program content as an example, theprogram content itself may also be displayed after being modified. FIG.12 is a diagram illustrating an example of skipping a CM included inprogram content. For example, the display controller 135 may skip someof the CMs included in program content C1, or skip all of the CMs. Forexample, the display controller 135 may apply control to display a CMincluded in program content C1 in a case where that CM satisfies apredetermined parameter, and skip display of that CM in a case where theCM does not satisfy the predetermined parameter.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of skipping a CM present between a mainfeature H2 and a main feature H3. For example, if a CM is inserted at aclimactic portion of the main feature, there is a high likelihood ofimpeding the viewing of the main feature, and thus it may be configuredsuch that the CM at that position is skipped. A climactic portion may bedetermined on the basis of a recognition result obtained as a result ofperforming a predetermined recognition process (speech recognition, forexample) based on the image features or audio features discussed earlierwith respect to program content, and may also be determined on the basisof comments from viewers written regarding the program content, such asthe post-metadata or other metadata information discussed earlier. Forexample, in the case of using image/audio features, it is possible todetermine a climactic portion in a case where a person's face image isdetected and the speech level is equal to or greater than apredetermined threshold value, or in a case where the audio spectralpower in a predetermined frequency band, such as that of peoplecheering, is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

By skipping a CM included in program content C1 in this way, it ispossible to shorten the playback time of the program content C1, whileadditionally raising the effectiveness of advertising by the CMs whichare not skipped. Meanwhile, if a CM is present between separate cornersconstituting a main feature, for example, there is a low likelihood ofimpeding the viewing of the main feature, and thus the CM at thatposition may be left in.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of moving a CM included inprogram content. For example, the display controller 135 may move someof the CMs included in program content C1, or move all of the CMs. Forexample, the display controller 135 may apply control to not move a CMincluded in program content C1 in a case where the program content C1satisfies a predetermined parameter, and move the CM in a case where theprogram content C1 does not satisfy the predetermined parameter.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example of moving a CM present between a mainfeature H1 and a main feature H2, and a CM present between the mainfeature H2 and a main feature H3, to before the program content C1. Forexample, in a case where the program content C1 is in a particular genre(such as drama or a motion picture, for example), there is a highlikelihood that CMs would impede viewing of the main feature, and thuscontrol may be applied to move CMs included in the program content C1.On the other hand, in a case where the type of the program content C1 isnot in a particular genre, there is a low likelihood that CMs wouldimpede viewing of the main feature, and thus control may be applied tonot move CMs included in the program content C1.

Note that the possibility of consecutively repeating the same CM isenvisioned as a result of moving CMs. In the case of consecutivelyrepeating the same CM, there is a possibility of causing a viewerviewing the program content to lose interest in the CM. Consequently, inthe case of consecutively repeating the same CM, the display controller135 may replace some or all of the affected CMs with other CMs. CMreplacement may also be performed such that similar CMs are playedconsecutively. Potential examples of similar CMs include different CMshaving the same performers, or different CMs having the same advertisedproduct or product type. It is conceivable to detect the same or similarCMs from content being stored on a predetermined server on the basis ofa predetermined frame-by-frame matching process using the predeterminedimage features or audio features discussed earlier. For CM detection, itis conceivable to conduct a matching process by calculating a distance(content-to-content distance Cd) that sums a per-frame distancecalculation value (frame-to-frame distance Fd) for just the time length(frame length) of the CM content to be detected, and then comparing thecomputed distance Cd against a predetermined threshold value (Dth). Atthis point, detecting the same CM or similar CMs is possible by varyingthe value of Dth. In other words, the process is conducted by settingDth to a small value Dths in the case of detecting the same CM, andsetting Dth to a large value compared to Dths (Dths<Dthm) in the case ofdetecting similar CMs.

A CM performer may also be determined on the basis of a recognitionresult obtained as a result of conducting a predetermined recognitionprocess (such as a facial recognition process or a speech recognitionprocess, for example) on program content, for example. Alternatively, aCM performer may be determined on the basis of comments written byviewers regarding the program content, or on the basis of informationspecifying a performer in a case where such information is included inthe metadata attached to a CM.

The related content K1 displayed at a predetermined position on aselection screen 1381 used to select program content to be played backmay or may not be related to the related content K4 inserted intoprogram content to be played back.

For example, in a case where a selection operation is conducted on therelated content K1, there is a high likelihood that the viewer isinterested in the related content K1, and thus the display controller135 may apply control to display related content K4 that is similar oridentical to the related content K1. On the other hand, in a case wherea selection operation is not conducted on the related content K1, thereis a high likelihood that the viewer is not interested in the relatedcontent K1, and thus the display controller 135 may apply control todisplay related content K4 with a low similarity to the related contentK1.

The related content whose display is controlled by the displaycontroller 135 may or may not be related to program content to be playedback. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display ofrelated content (for the case of using related content that relates toprogram content to be played back). The operation screen 1382 forprogram content to be played back illustrated in FIG. 14 is a screenthat is transitioned to in a case where a viewer selects program contentto be played back on the selection screen 1381 used to select programcontent to be played back, for example. For example, if the viewerperforms a play operation on program content to be played back on theoperation screen 1382, the program content to be played back is playedback.

The display controller 135 may apply control such that related content(related content K2 and related content K3, for example) is displayed atpredetermined positions on the operation screen 1382 for program contentto be played back, as illustrated in FIG. 14. The related content K2 andthe related content K3 respectively relate to program content to beplayed back. In other words, the description herein envisions the casewhere the related content acquisition unit 133 acquires related contentthat relates to program content to be played back as the relatedcontent, as already discussed.

Various timings are envisioned for the related content display timings.For example, in a case where the program content to be played backcontains program segments, the related content acquisition unit 133 mayacquire related segments that relate to the program segments, and thedisplay controller 135 may apply control to display the related segmentsat timings that correspond to the display timings of the programsegments.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of display timings forprogram content C1 and related content K2. In the example illustrated inFIG. 15, the program segments corresponds to the corners and CMsconstituting the program content. Related to the program segmentsconstituting the program content C1 (in the example illustrated in FIG.15, a Corner 1, a Corner 2, a CM 1, a CM 2, a Corner 3, and a Corner 4)are related segments (in the example illustrated in FIG. 15, acorner-linked ad, a corner-linked ad, a CM-linked ad, a CM-linked ad, acorner-linked ad, and a corner-linked ad).

Although program segments and related segments are displayedsimultaneously in the example illustrated in FIG. 15, the programsegments and related segments may also not be displayed simultaneously.For example, a related segment may be displayed a predetermined amountof time after the display timing of a program segment. Furthermore,although the display times of program segments and the display times ofrelated segments are of the same length in the example illustrated inFIG. 15, the respective display times may also differ.

Meanwhile, a CM included in program content may be skipped byfast-forwarding in some cases. In such cases, enabling a viewer toascertain the CM skipped by fast-forwarding may create a chance to getthe viewer interested in that CM. Consequently, CMs that have beenskipped by fast-forwarding may also be displayed as a CM list. Thetablet 10 may acquire a CM list from the main device 20 as programcontent metadata, for example.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a CM list displayed inthe case of skipping a CM. As illustrated in FIG. 16, in a case whereCMs included in program content are skipped by fast-forwarding, thedisplay controller 135 may apply control such that informationindicating the CMs is displayed as a CM list L1. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 16, the CM list L1 includes “CM”, “Sponsor”,“Performer”, and “Subject” fields as information for identifying CMs.However, the information included in the CM list L1 is not particularlylimited.

Also, the order of information included in the CM list L1 is notparticularly limited. For example, information regarding CMs that aviewer has already viewed may be displayed at positions on the CM listL1 that are easily seen by the viewer (such as at the top of the CM listL1, for example). Also, a marker indicating that a CM has been viewedmay also be displayed at positions corresponding to information on CMsthat the viewer has already viewed.

Note that CMs may be skipped irrespective of the CM type, oralternatively, skippable CMs and non-skippable CMs may be provided. Forexample, in a case where a fast-forward operation is performed on a CMrelated to the keywords described earlier (such as the recording searchkeywords, playback search keywords, or preregistered information, forexample), the display controller 135 may apply control to not skip thatCM, or to skip that CM while presenting a display indicating that the CMrelates to the keywords.

As another example, in a case where a fast-forward operation isperformed on a CM that relates to a performer in program content to beplayed back, the display controller 135 may apply control to not skipthat CM, or to skip that CM while presenting a display indicating thatthe CM relates to the performer.

Also envisioned is the case where a CM constituting part of a CM seriesis included in program content. In such a case, if a fast-forwardoperation is not performed on the CM, the display controller 135 maydetermine that the viewer is interested in that CM, and apply control todisplay the rest of the CM series containing that CM. Furthermore,before displaying the rest of the CM series, the display controller 135may also apply control to display a confirmation screen regardingwhether or not to display the rest of the CM series.

In addition, a CM generated further in the past than a predeterminedtime may also be replaced with another CM. The other CM may be acquiredby the tablet 10 from a predetermined server via the network 60. Also,in the case of acquiring information for specifying the viewer using thetablet 10, a CM may be acquired according to the viewer on the basis ofthe information for specifying the viewer. The specification of a viewermay be conducted on the basis of preference information based on aprogram content playback history, or on the basis of information such asa result from facial recognition on a captured image, a result fromspeech recognition on recorded audio data, or fingerprint informationacquired from a viewer.

In this way, if related content is displayed on the tablet 10 whileprogram content is being displayed on the display device 30, there is apossibility that a viewer may concentrate on viewing the related contentand neglect to view the program content. Thus, a process for notimpeding the viewing of program content may also be executed.

Specifically, in a case where the display controller 135 applies controlto display related content the tablet 10 then accesses a site outside ofa predetermined range during playback of program content, the displaycontroller 135 may apply control to stop playback of the programcontent. The site outside of a predetermined range herein may be a siteprovided by a device that is neither the related content server 41, thepost-metadata server 42, nor the main device 20. As another example, thedisplay controller 135 may also apply control to resume playback ofprogram content in a case where the tablet 10 accesses a site backwithin the predetermined range.

As another example, information indicating that a CM has already beenplayed back may be attached to CMs that have been played back from amongCMs included in program content. A CM with attached informationindicating that the CM has already been played back may be played backon the basis of an operation by the viewer, or made viewable by theviewer later according to display control by the display controller 135.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display of relatedcontent (for the case of using related content that relates to programcontent to be played back). The operation screen 1382 for programcontent to be played back illustrated in FIG. 17 is a screen that istransitioned to in a case where a viewer selects program content to beplayed back on the selection screen 1381 used to select program contentto be played back, for example. For example, if the viewer performs aplay operation on program content to be played back on the operationscreen 1382, the program content to be played back is played back.

As illustrated in FIG. 17, the display controller 135 may apply controlsuch that a related content list L2 is displayed at a predeterminedposition on the operation screen 1382 for program content to be playedback. Each related content item present on the related content list L2relates to program content to be played back. In other words, thedescription herein envisions the case where the related contentacquisition unit 133 acquires individual related content items thatrelate to program content to be played back, as already discussed. Eachrelated content item present on the related content list L2 contains“Performer”, “Product Category”, “Product Name”, and “Price” fields asan example, but related content items are not limited to such anexample.

In this way, the case where there exist a plurality of pieces of relatedcontent relating to program content is envisioned. In such a case, thedisplay controller 135 may specify a priority ranking for each of theplurality of pieces of related content, and apply control to displayeach of the plurality of pieces of related content according to thepriority rankings that respectively correspond to each of the pluralityof pieces of related content. For example, the display controller 135may specify a priority ranking for each of the plurality of pieces ofrelated content on the basis of predetermined information used to selectprogram content (such as keywords used to select program content, forexample).

For example, the display controller 135 may specify a higher priorityranking for keywords used to select program content (such as recordingsearch keywords, playback search keywords, or preregistered information,for example) than for keywords not used to select program content. Thedisplay controller 135 may also apply control to display related contentwith higher priority rankings at positions that are easily seen by theviewer (such as at the top of the related content list L2, for example).

The foregoing thus describes related content display control by a tablet10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

6. EXEMPLARY OPERATION OF DISPLAY CONTROL SYSTEM

Next, operation of a display control system 1 according to an embodimentof the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 18 is a flowchartillustrating an example of the flow of operation (main operation) by adisplay control system 1 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Note that the flow of operation (main operation) by thedisplay control system 1 illustrated in FIG. 18 is merely an example,and thus the flow of operation (main operation) by the display controlsystem 1 is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 18.

As illustrated in FIG. 18, first the tablet 10 determines whether or notthe operating mode is a playback mode (R1), with operation proceeding toa flow for a predetermined operating mode in a case where the operatingmode is not the playback mode (R1, No). The flow of the predeterminedoperating mode, although not illustrated herein, is not particularlylimited.

Meanwhile, in a case where the operating mode is the playback mode (R1,Yes), the tablet 10 selects program content C0 (R2), and sets a defaultdisplay mode (R3). The tablet 10 detects the display mode (R4), and themain device 20 conducts a playback process for the program content C0(R5). Subsequently, the tablet 10 determines whether or not the displaymode is a synchronized display mode (R6).

The synchronized display mode corresponds to the mode in the earlierexample in which related content is displayed at a timing correspondingto the display timing of program content. The tablet 10 proceeds to R7in a case where the display mode is the synchronized display mode (R6,Yes). On the other hand, the tablet 10 proceeds to the operation in R11in a case where the display mode is not the synchronized display mode(R6, No).

In the case of proceeding to the operation in R7, the tablet 10 detectsa corner from the program content C0 (R7), and determines whether or notthe currently detected corner has changed from the last detected corner(R8). The detection of a corner may be conducted on the basis ofmetadata of the program content C0 (such as pre-metadata orpost-metadata, for example), or on the basis of a result of conducting apredetermined recognition process (such as a facial recognition processor a speech recognition process on the program content C0.

The tablet 10 proceeds to the operation in R15 in a case where thecorner has not changed (R8, No). On the other hand, in a case where thecorner has changed (R8, Yes), the tablet 10 determines whether or notthe current timing is a CM insertion timing with respect to a mainfeature constituting the program content C0 (R9).

The tablet 10 proceeds to the operation in R15 in a case where thecurrent timing is not a CM insertion timing with respect to a mainfeature constituting the program content C0 (R9, No). On the other hand,in a case where the current timing is a CM insertion timing with respectto a main feature constituting the program content C0 (R9, Yes), themain device 20 displays a CM by inserting the CM into the main featureconstituting the program content C0, and the tablet 10 displays a bannerad included in related content that relates to the program content C0(R10).

In the case of proceeding to the operation in R11, the tablet 10determines whether or not the current timing is a CM insertion timingwith respect to a main feature constituting the program content C0(R11). The tablet 10 proceeds to the operation in R13 in a case wherethe current timing is not a CM insertion timing with respect to a mainfeature constituting the program content C0 (R11, No). On the otherhand, in a case where the current timing is a CM insertion timing withrespect to a main feature constituting the program content C0 (R11,Yes), the main device 20 displays a CM by inserting the CM into the mainfeature constituting the program content C0 (R12), and proceeds to theoperation in R13.

In the case of proceeding to the operation in R13, the tablet 10determines whether or not the current timing is an ad insertion timingwith respect to a main feature constituting related content (R13). Thetablet 10 proceeds to the operation in R15 in a case where the currenttiming is not an ad insertion timing with respect to a main featureconstituting related content (R13, No). On the other hand, in a casewhere the current timing is an ad insertion timing with respect to amain feature constituting related content (R13, Yes), the tablet 10displays a banner ad by inserting the banner ad into the main featureconstituting related content (R14), and proceeds to the operation inR15.

Subsequently, the tablet 10 determines whether or not to end operation(R15), and ends operation in the case of determining to end operation(R15, Yes). On the other hand, in the case of determining to not endoperation (R15, No), the tablet 10 determines whether or not to changethe display mode (R16), and proceeds to the operation in R4 in the caseof determining to not change the display mode (R16, No). On the otherhand, in the case of determining to change the display mode (R16, Yes),the tablet 10 changes the display mode (R17), and proceeds to theoperation in R4.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of operationby a display control system 1 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure (for the case of using related content linked to programcontent to be played back). Note that the flow of operation (for thecase of using related content linked to program content to be playedback) by the display control system 1 illustrated in FIG. 19 is merelyan example, and thus the flow of operation (for the case of usingrelated content linked to program content to be played back) is notlimited to the example illustrated in FIG. 19.

As illustrated in FIG. 19, first the tablet 10 determines whether or notthe operating mode is a special playback mode (Q1), and in a case wherethe operating mode is not the special playback mode (Q1, No), conductsan ordinary display process (Q5), and proceeds to the operation in Q4.The special playback mode corresponds to fast-forward playback in theearlier example. Also, the ordinary display process corresponds to aprocess that displays related content.

On the other hand, in a case where the operating mode is the specialplayback mode (Q1, Yes), the tablet 10 acquires full CM information onall CMs in the program content being played back (Q2), and conducts alist display process on the basis of the acquired full CM information(Q3). The full CM information corresponds to the CM list L1 in theearlier example. Subsequently, the tablet 10 determines whether or notto end operation (Q4), and ends operation in the case of determining toend operation (Q4, Yes). On the other hand, the tablet 10 proceeds tothe operation in Q1 in the case of determining to not end operation (Q4,No).

Operation by the main device 20 is conducted in parallel with operationby the tablet 10. First, the main device 20 determines whether or notthe operating mode is a special playback mode (P1), and in a case wherethe operating mode is not the special playback mode (P1, No), conductsan ordinary display process (P4), and proceeds to the operation in P5.The special playback mode corresponds to fast-forward playback in theearlier example. Also, the ordinary display process corresponds to aprocess that displays program content.

Meanwhile, in a case where the operating mode is the special playbackmode (P1, Yes), the main device 20 determines whether or not the currentplayback position of the program content is in a CM segment (P2). Themain device 20 proceeds to the operation in P5 in a case where thecurrent playback position of the program content is not in a CM segment(P2, No). On the other hand, in a case where the current playbackposition of the program content is in a CM segment (P2, Yes), the maindevice 20 determines whether or not a CM relates to keywords (P3).

The main device 20 proceeds to the operation in P5 in a case where a CMdoes not relate to keywords (P3, No). On the other hand, in a case wherea CM relates to keywords (P3, Yes), the main device 20 conducts theordinary display process (P4), and proceeds to the operation in P5. Theordinary display process corresponds to the process of displayingprogram content in the earlier example. The main device 20 determineswhether or not to end operation (P5), and ends operation in the case ofdetermining to end operation (P5, Yes). On the other hand, the maindevice 20 proceeds to the operation in P1 in the case of determining tonot end operation (P5, No).

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of operationby a display control system 1 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure (for the case of using related content linked to programcontent to be played back). Note that the flow of operation (for thecase of using related content linked to program content to be playedback) by the display control system 1 illustrated in FIG. 20 is merelyan example, and thus the flow of operation (for the case of usingrelated content linked to program content to be played back) is notlimited to the example illustrated in FIG. 20.

As illustrated in FIG. 20, first the tablet 10 determines whether or notthe operating mode is a special playback mode (Q1), and in a case wherethe operating mode is not the special playback mode (Q1, No), conductsan ordinary display process (Q5), and proceeds to the operation in Q6.The special playback mode corresponds to fast-forward playback in theearlier example. Also, the ordinary display process corresponds to aprocess that displays related content.

On the other hand, in a case where the operating mode is the specialplayback mode (Q1, Yes), the tablet 10 acquires full CM information onall CMs in the program content being played back (Q2), and conducts alist display process on the basis of the acquired full CM information(Q3). The full CM information corresponds to the CM list L1 in theearlier example.

Subsequently, the tablet 10 determines whether or not the currentplayback position of the program content is in a CM segment (P2). Thetablet 10 proceeds to the operation in Q4 in a case where the currentplayback position of the program content is not in a CM segment (P2,No). On the other hand, in a case where the current playback position ofthe program content is in a CM segment (P2, Yes), the main device 20determines whether or not a CM relates to keywords (P3).

The tablet 10 proceeds to the operation in Q4 in a case where a CM doesnot relate to keywords (P3, No). On the other hand, the tablet 10proceeds to the operation in Q6 in a case where a CM relates to keywords(P3, Yes). In the case of proceeding to the operation in Q6, the tablet10 transmits a display request to the main device 20 (Q6), and thenproceeds to the operation in Q4. Subsequently, the tablet 10 determineswhether or not to end operation (Q4), and ends operation in the case ofdetermining to end operation (Q4, Yes). On the other hand, the tablet 10proceeds to the operation in Q1 in the case of determining to not endoperation (Q4, No).

Operation by the main device 20 is conducted in parallel with operationby the tablet 10. First, the main device 20 determines whether or not adisplay request has been received from the tablet 10 (P6). The maindevice 20 proceeds to the operation in P5 in a case where a displayrequest has not been received from the tablet 10 (P6, No).

On the other hand, in a case where a display request has been receivedfrom the tablet 10 (P6, Yes), the main device 20 conducts an ordinarydisplay process (P4), and proceeds to the operation in P5. The ordinarydisplay process corresponds to the process of displaying program contentin the earlier example. The main device 20 determines whether or not toend operation (P5), and ends operation in the case of determining to endoperation (P5, Yes). On the other hand, the main device 20 proceeds tothe operation in P1 in the case of determining to not end operation (P5,No).

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of operationby a display control system 1 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure (for the case of using related content linked to programcontent to be played back). Note that the flow of operation (for thecase of using related content linked to program content to be playedback) by the display control system 1 illustrated in FIG. 21 is merelyan example, and thus the flow of operation (for the case of usingrelated content linked to program content to be played back) is notlimited to the example illustrated in FIG. 21.

As illustrated in FIG. 21, first the tablet 10 or the main device 20determines whether or not the operating mode is a special playback mode(U1), and in a case where the operating mode is not the special playbackmode (U1, No), conducts an ordinary display process on the display forthe main device (U8), conducts an ordinary display process on the tablet(U9), and proceeds to the operation in U7. The special playback modecorresponds to fast-forward playback in the earlier example. Also, theordinary display process on the display for the main device correspondsto a process causing the main device 20 to display program content onthe display device 30, while the ordinary display process on the tabletcorresponds to a process causing the tablet 10 to display relatedcontent.

Meanwhile, in a case where the operating mode is the special playbackmode (U1, Yes), the tablet 10 or the main device 20 determines whetheror not the current playback position of the program content is in a CMsegment (U2). The tablet 10 or the main device 20 proceeds to theoperation in U5 in a case where the current playback position of theprogram content is not in a CM segment (U2, No). On the other hand, in acase where the current playback position of the program content is in aCM segment (U2, Yes), the tablet 10 or the main device 20 determineswhether or not a CM relates to keywords (U3).

The tablet 10 or the main device 20 proceeds to the operation in U5 in acase where a CM does not relate to keywords (U3, No). On the other hand,the tablet 10 or the main device 20 proceeds to the operation in U4 in acase where a CM does not relate to keywords (U3, Yes). In the case ofproceeding to the operation in U5, the tablet 10 acquires full CMinformation on all CMs in the program content being played back (U5),and conducts a CM list display process on the tablet, on the basis ofthe acquired full CM information (U6). The full CM informationcorresponds to the CM list L1 in the earlier example.

In the case of proceeding to the operation in U7, the tablet 10 and themain device 20 determine whether or not to end operation (U7), and endoperation in the case of determining to end operation (U7, Yes). On theother hand, the tablet 10 and the main device 20 proceed to theoperation in U1 in the case of determining to not end operation (U7,No).

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of operationby a display control system 1 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure (for the case of using related content according tokeywords). Note that the flow of operation (for the case of usingrelated content according to keywords) by the display control system 1illustrated in FIG. 22 is merely an example, and thus the flow ofoperation (for the case of using related content according to keywords)is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 22.

As illustrated in FIG. 22, first the tablet 10 determines whether or notthe operating mode is a playback mode (T1), with operation proceeding toa flow for a predetermined operating mode in a case where the operatingmode is not the playback mode (T1, No). The flow of the predeterminedoperating mode, although not illustrated herein, is not particularlylimited.

Meanwhile, in a case where the operating mode is the playback mode (T1,Yes), the tablet 10 selects program content C0 (T2), and detects an adprocessing mode (T3). The ad processing mode corresponds to the modeindicating which keywords to detect from among recording searchkeywords, playback search keywords, preregistered information, or thelike in the earlier example. Subsequently, the tablet 10 detectskeywords according to the ad processing mode (T4), and searches forrelated content K0 according to the keywords (T5).

In a case where related content K0 is found (T6, Yes), the main device20 applies control to play back and display the program content C0,while the tablet 10 applies control to play back and display the relatedcontent K0 (T7). The tablet 10 determines whether or not to endoperation (T8), and ends operation in the case of determining to endoperation (T8, Yes). On the other hand, the tablet 10 proceeds to theoperation in T7 in the case of determining to not end operation (T8,No).

Meanwhile, in a case where related content K0 is not found (T6, No), thetablet 10 selects ordinary ad content T0 (T9). The ordinary ad contentT0 is content that is acquirable irrespective of keywords, and is madeavailable in advance. Subsequently, the main device 20 applies controlto play back and display the program content C0, while the tablet 10applies control to play back and display the ordinary ad content T0(T10). The tablet 10 determines whether or not to end operation (T11),and ends operation in the case of determining to end operation (T11,Yes). On the other hand, the tablet 10 proceeds to the operation in T10in the case of determining to not end operation (T11, No).

FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of operationby a display control system 1 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure (for the case of using related content according tokeywords). Note that the flow of operation (for the case of usingrelated content according to keywords) by the display control system 1illustrated in FIG. 23 is merely an example, and thus the flow ofoperation (for the case of using related content according to keywords)is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 23.

As illustrated in FIG. 23, first the tablet 10 determines whether or notthe operating mode is a playback mode (T1), with operation proceeding toa flow for a predetermined operating mode in a case where the operatingmode is not the playback mode (T1, No). The flow of the predeterminedoperating mode, although not illustrated herein, is not particularlylimited.

Meanwhile, in a case where the operating mode is the playback mode (T1,Yes), the tablet 10 selects program content C0 (T2), and detects an adprocessing mode (T3). The ad processing mode corresponds to the modeindicating which keywords to detect from among recording searchkeywords, playback search keywords, preregistered information, or thelike in the earlier example. Subsequently, the tablet 10 detectskeywords according to the ad processing mode (T4).

The tablet 10 determines whether or not new keyword input exists (T41).A new keyword is a keyword input during a period extending back apredetermined amount of time from the present, for example. The tablet10 proceeds to the operation in T5 in a case where new keyword inputdoes not exist (T41, No). On the other hand, in a case where new keywordinput does exist (T41, Yes), the tablet 10 conducts a keyword weightingprocess, that is, a process of weighting the new keywords in order toraise the importance of the new keywords (T42), and then proceeds to theoperation in T5.

The keyword weighting process may also be conducted on a new keywordspecified from a search history for older program content in a database,for example. How much the tablet 10 weights new keywords is notparticularly limited. Subsequently, the tablet 10 searches for relatedcontent K0 according to keywords (T5).

In a case where related content K0 is found (T6, Yes), the main device20 applies control to play back the program content C0 while alsodisplaying the played back program content C0, while the tablet 10applies control to play back the related content K0 while alsodisplaying the played back related content K0 (T7). The tablet 10determines whether or not to end operation (T8), and ends operation inthe case of determining to end operation (T8, Yes). On the other hand,the tablet 10 proceeds to the operation in T7 in the case of determiningto not end operation (T8, No).

Meanwhile, in a case where related content K0 is not found (T6, No), thetablet 10 selects ordinary ad content T0 (T9). The ordinary ad contentT0 is content that is acquirable irrespective of keywords, and is madeavailable in advance. Subsequently, the main device 20 applies controlto play back and display the program content C0, while the tablet 10applies control to play back and display the ordinary ad content T0(T10). The tablet 10 determines whether or not to end operation (T11),and ends operation in the case of determining to end operation (T11,Yes). On the other hand, the tablet 10 proceeds to the operation in T10in the case of determining to not end operation (T11, No).

7. CONCLUSION

As described in the foregoing, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, it is possible to provide a display control device equippedwith a related content acquisition unit 133 that acquires relatedcontent that relates to program content, and a display controller 135that applies control such that related content is displayed afterprogram content is recorded. According to such a configuration, there isprovided technology for displaying related content after program contentis recorded. Consequently, it is possible to provide a user with relatedcontent that accounts for information such as the user's rating of theprogram content, for example.

With the technology of the present disclosure, it becomes possible topresent related content to a viewer more effectively. As a result, itbecomes possible to raise the likelihood of generating new business viarelated content. Moreover, by viewing related content provided by thetechnology of the present disclosure, it is anticipated that obtainingmore effective related information (such as product information, forexample) will become easier for the viewer. Furthermore, the viewer alsobecomes able to enjoy program content while also enjoying relatedcontent that relates to the program content.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

For example, the respective steps in the exemplary operation by thedisplay control system 1 in this specification are not strictly limitedto being processed in a time series following the sequences described asflowcharts herein. For example, the respective steps in the exemplaryoperation of the display control system 1 may be processed in a sequencethat differs from the sequences described herein, and furthermore may beprocessed in parallel.

Additionally, it is also possible to create a program that causeshardware such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM built into a computer to exhibitthe same functionality as the configurations of the devices described inthe foregoing (such as the tablet 10, the main device 20, the relatedcontent server 41, and the post-metadata server 42, for example). Acomputer-readable recording medium storing such a program may also beprovided.

Although the foregoing embodiments describe the processing of programcontent, it is also conceivable to apply the present technology to othervideo content besides program content that includes predeterminedimage/audio information. For example, it is conceivable to applyprocesses according to an embodiment of the present technology in thecase of playing back a recording medium storing a motion picture orother software content that includes predetermined CMs or advertisinginformation. In such cases, the disc drive unit 270 in FIG. 3 plays backthe predetermined video content.

Note that cases where the video content does not include audioinformation are also conceivable. Furthermore, it is also conceivable toapply processes according to an embodiment of the present technology inthe case of streaming video content stored on a predetermined server ona network, or in the case of playback after downloading video content topredetermined local storage. In such cases, predetermined content isaccessed via the network I/F unit 210 in FIG. 3, or the recording medium230 is used as local storage to downloaded and record predeterminedcontent.

It is also conceivable for the video content herein to be apredetermined scene segment constituting part of predetermined content.For example, the video content is conceivably a program scene, programcorner, or CM segment of predetermined program content in which apredetermined entertainer appears.

(1) A display control device including:

a related content acquisition unit that acquires related content thatrelates to predetermined video content; and

a display controller that applies control to display the related contentafter the predetermined video content is recorded.

(2) The display control device according to (1),

wherein, in a case where the predetermined video content is selected asa recording target according to recording selection information used toselect the recording target, the related content acquisition unitacquires the related content according to the recording selectioninformation.

(3) The display control device according to (1),

wherein, in a case where the predetermined video content is selected asa playback target according to playback selection information used toselect the playback target, the related content acquisition unitacquires the related content according to the playback selectioninformation.

(4) The display control device according to (1),

wherein, in a case where the predetermined video content is selected asa recording target according to preregistered information, the relatedcontent acquisition unit acquires the related content according to thepreregistered information.

(5) The display control device according to (1),

wherein the related content acquisition unit acquires the relatedcontent according to metadata of the predetermined video content.

(6) The display control device according to any one of (1) to (5),

wherein the related content acquisition unit acquires, as the relatedcontent that relates to the predetermined video content, related contentthat relates to video content to be played back.

(7) The display control device according to any one of (1) to (5),

wherein the related content acquisition unit acquires, as the relatedcontent that relates to the predetermined video content, related contentthat relates to predetermined video content recorded recently.

(8) The display control device according to (1),

wherein the display controller applies control to insert the relatedcontent before video content to be played back in a manner that therelated content is displayed before the video content to be played back.

(9) The display control device according to (1),

wherein, in a case where video content to be played back includes apredetermined video segment, the related content acquisition unitacquires a related segment that relates to the predetermined videosegment, and

wherein the display controller applies control to display the relatedsegment at a timing corresponding to a display timing of thepredetermined video segment.

(10) The display control device according to (1),

wherein the display controller applies control to display the relatedcontent at a predetermined position on a selection screen used to selectvideo content to be played back.

(11) The display control device according to (1),

wherein the display controller applies control to display the relatedcontent at a predetermined position on an operation screen for videocontent to be played back.

(12) The display control device according to (1),

wherein, in a case where there exist a plurality of pieces of therelated content that relates to the predetermined video content, thedisplay controller specifies a priority ranking for each of theplurality of pieces of the related content, and applies control todisplay each of the plurality pieces of the related content at aposition according to the priority ranking that corresponds to each ofthe plurality pieces of the related content.

(13) The display control device according to (12),

wherein the display controller specifies the priority ranking for eachof the plurality of pieces of the related content based on predeterminedinformation used to select the predetermined video content.

(14) The display control device according to (1),

wherein the related content acquisition unit acquires related contentthat relates to a performer obtained as a result of conducting apredetermined recognition process on the predetermined video content.

(15) The display control device according to (1),

wherein the related content acquisition unit acquires related contentthat relates to extracted information extracted from viewer commentsregarding the predetermined video content.

(16) The display control device according to (1),

wherein, in a case where advertising content included in thepredetermined video content is played back by fast-forwarding, thedisplay controller applies control to display information indicatingthat advertising content.

(17) The display control device according to (1),

wherein the display controller applies control to display advertisingcontent included in the predetermined video content in a case where thatadvertising content satisfies a predetermined condition, and to skipdisplay of that advertising content in a case where that advertisingcontent does not satisfy the predetermined condition.

(18) The display control device according to (1),

wherein, in a case where the display controller applies control todisplay the related content, and the display control device thenaccesses a site outside a predetermined range during playback of thepredetermined video content, the display controller applies control tostop playback of the predetermined video content.

(19) A recording control device including:

a recording controller that applies control to record predeterminedvideo content; and

a display controller that applies control to display the predeterminedvideo content;

wherein control is applied to display related content that relates tothe predetermined video content after the predetermined video content isrecorded by the recording controller.

(20) A display control method including:

acquiring related content that relates to predetermined video content;and

applying control to display the related content after the predeterminedvideo content is recorded.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display control device comprising: a related content acquisition unit that acquires related content that relates to predetermined video content; and a display controller that applies control to display the related content after the predetermined video content is recorded. 